A Reason To Stay Human
by Kenna J
Summary: Her blue eyes searched through the chaos and destruction, desperately searching for the only person who made her feel safe. "Daddy!" ON A SHORT HIATUS WHILE I TAKE SOME TIME TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. KEEP R&R-ING - I'LL BE BACK SOON.
1. Daddy Got Mad At The Walker

**A/N - This is my first Walking Dead fanfic. It is going to _loosely_ follow the series, but not exactly. I've always loved fics that show a softer side of Daryl, so I thought I'd give one a try myself. I really hope you all enjoy it. **

**A Reason To Stay Human**

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><p>Before the apocalypse, Daryl Dixon never really cared much for hunting deer. He'd do it anyway, with Merle, but he never had the same satisfaction that his older brother had when the poor animal dropped down dead.<p>

Now, of course, things were different. He wasn't hunting for the hell of it, he was hunting to feed. Like an animal in the wild, Daryl had found himself tracking a deer for miles just for the sake of a couple of meals.

Crouched down behind a bush, leaning on his crossbow to hold himself steady, Daryl used his spare hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead before continuing his pursuit of his prey. He couldn't help but smirk to himself, the camp sure would be happy when he returned with some venison for lunch. More than once, he'd considered ditching the dozen or so squirrels which hung from string over his left shoulder. They seemed irrelevant compared to the deer but they'd make a good appetizer. The more he took back the better, he could almost predict the proud grin on Merle's face. His older brother was sure to be back from the city by the time Daryl returned. They could cook the venison together, Daryl thought. Merle was more skilled with a knife and could probably get a neater cut from the deer.

A rustle and a scream echoed in the near distance, causing Daryl to silently raise his crossbow and search for the source of the sound. How far away from camp was he?

Silently treading over broken twigs and dry grass, Daryl kept his eyes and ears open. If anything came in his direction, he'd be ready. Couldn't be Walkers, he thought to himself, they were too far away from the city. The main reason for the location of the camp was the isolated area which had no major city for at least ten miles in every direction.

After fifty yards or so of silent walking, Daryl concluded that there was no immediate threat and lowered his weapon, returning his attention to tracking the deer. He'd been tracking that damn thing closer to camp for nearly three miles and figured he was close enough to take the kill shot whenever the deer was next in sight.

As Daryl continued towards the general direction of camp, he began to hear muffled voices. As he neared the voices, he started being able to make out what was being said.

"That's the first Walker we've had this far up the woods. They must be runnin' outta food in the city." It was Shane's voice. Daryl shook his head as he continued to walk, now with less care about noise.

Breaking into a small clearing, Daryl found himself confronted by a couple of shotguns to the face. One held by Shane, the other by a man unknown to Daryl. Both weapons were lowered once it was concluded that Daryl was no threat. Also in the clearing was Glenn, Jim and Morales, all who were carrying their own weapons. Daryl's question of 'What the hell are y'all doing here?' was answered before spoken when he looked down. He cursed to himself, shaking his head in immense disappointment.

There, on the ground in front of him minus it's head, was a Walker. Next to him, even more to Daryl's annoyance, was the deer he'd been tracking.

"Son of a bitch!" cursed Daryl, kicking the headless Walker hard in the gut. And then again, followed by a few more kicks for good measure.

"That's enough, Daryl." Shane told him in a calm voice, motioning to the on-lookers not far behind them. Daryl looked up to their audience. Andrea and Amy looked disgusted by the decapitated Walker, and Andrea decided it best to walk her younger sister away before either of them threw up. Lori and Carol stood with Carl and Sophia, their expressions a mixture of concern and disgust. A little to their right stood Mia. A little relief ran through Daryl, which was soon replaced by the previous annoyance as his attention returned to Shane.

"Been tracking that damn deer for miles. Tryin' to lead it back to camp, cook us up some venison." Daryl huffed, yanking out his arrows from the deceased deer and observing the hole in the deer's gut where the Walker had chowed down.

"Think we could still get a good cut of meat?" Daryl looked up to a negative reaction, "We could just cut around this eaten part right here?"

"You know we can't risk it, Daryl." said Shane. Daryl shrugged in agreement.

"That's a damn shame. I got a dozen or so squirrel," Daryl told them, motioning to the rodents on his back, "Should keep us going for a day or two."

The group nodded in unison. Daryl noticed a few nervous glances exchanged between the men but shrugged them off as he saw the Walkers mouth move. He rolled his eyes, aiming his loaded crossbow at the lonely head and shooting it right through the eye.

"Gotta be through the brain," he told them, "Don't you idiots know nothin'?" Daryl retrieved his arrow from the Walker's head and headed towards the camp site.

Lori motioned Carl back in the direction of camp as everyone else followed Daryl. She turned to Mia who stood still, he tiny fingers looping through her light blonde hair.

"You okay, sweetie?" she asked the little girl, kneeling so she was at her level. Mia shook her head, turning to watch Daryl who didn't even acknowledge her. Lori lifted Mia into her arms and started a slow walk back towards camp.

"Did the Walker scare you?" Lori asked. Mia gave a little nod.

"Why was Daddy so mad?" Mia asked Lori. Lori sighed, replaying the images of Daryl's anger towards the already dead Walker.

"Daddy was mad at the Walker for hurting that deer," Lori told Mia, hoping the five year old would believe her pathetic reason. She seemed to. For that, Lori was relieved. "I tell you what, why don't we go find Carl and get us something to eat, and then we can go see how your Daddy's trip was. Sound good?"

Mia nodded. She had missed her Daddy an awful lot. Lori placed Mia gently on the ground and the little girl ran towards the tent area. Lori went to follow, but stopped at the sound of Daryl's angry voice.

"You left my brother _handcuffed _on a roof?"

Lori sighed. Perhaps she'd let Daryl cool off for a little bit longer before taking his daughter to see him.

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><p><strong>Quite a short opening chapter, but before I continue to post I'd like to see how many of you are interested in reading more :) I'm VERY open to ideas as I do struggled to keep folks in character when working with OCs. <em>Constructive <em>criticism is very welcome, as are ideas on how to improve.**

**Hope to hear from you guys soon :)**


	2. I Don't Know When, But I Will

**A/N - WOW! 10 reviews and countless amounts of subscriptions from my first chapter! You guys are amazing. I am so glad so many of you want to read more, so here it is ...**

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><p>"Daddy?"<p>

Daryl was polishing up his crossbow, preparing for a trip to the city to bring back his brother. Mia stood a few feet in front of him, a sad look in her big, blue eyes.

"What's wrong, kid?" he asked. Mia took a step closer.

"Are you leaving again?" she asked with a soft sigh.

Daryl nodded his head, gathering all of his arrows and securing them together with a piece of string. "I gotta go find your Uncle Merle and bring him back." he told her.

"But you only jus' got back." Tears threatened to fall from Mia's eyes as she edged a little bit closer, taking the tiniest of steps towards Daryl. Daryl put his weapon and it's ammunition down by his feet and opened his arms for Mia. The little girl bounded into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck as he gently rubbed her back.

_-FLASHBACK-_

"_Pregnant?"_

_Daryl pinched himself to be sure he wasn't dreaming. When it hurt, he knew he wasn't. Jenna stood before him, hands on her hips. They weren't even properly dating, it'd started off as a quick shag in some down town strip club toilets and now the woman was telling him she was pregnant. _

_'No' Daryl thought to himself, leaning forward and pinching the bridge of his nose, 'It can't be. This can't be happening.'_

"_Say something, Daryl!" Jenna screamed at him, throwing her arms up in the air in frustration. Daryl shook his head. Whatever he said would be the wrong thing, so he went with the first thing that came to mind._

"_We … we used protection."_

_Jenna's eyes widened in horror and Daryl knew that he probably could have picked something better to say._

"_They're not 100% fucking effective, Daryl! Don't you have anything more useful to say! I'm carrying your baby for fucks sake!"_

_Daryl collapsed back on the sofa, his head buried in his hands. Jenna took a deep breath and counted to five in her head before flopping down next to him, brushing her long, dark hair off of her face. Daryl shook his head repeatedly. Daryl Dixon, a father. It even sounded ridiculous in his head. Daryl couldn't think of a worse possible father, except maybe Merle. _

"_Daryl, listen to me," said Jenna, taking Daryl's left hand in her right, "I'm keeping this baby, let's get that straight. I want you to be a part of this too."_

"_Are you serious?" Daryl sat forward, snatching his hand back and resting his chin on his fists, "You want to start a family with 'Drunken Daryl Dixon'? No Jenna, no child should get stuck with a dad like me. Keep the baby but find y'all someone else. Anyone would make a better daddy for that kid than me. Look at my family, we're as fucked up as it gets."_

_Jenna wiped away a tear that threatened to fall before speaking. _

"_You can't run away from this, Daryl. You are as responsible for this as I am and I will not let you abandon me!"_

"_I know that," replied Daryl, standing up, "I ain't gonna let you go through this alone. If you're damn set on keeping that kid then I'll help you financially, but that's it. I ain't set to be a dad, Jen. You know that, I know that."_

_Jenna went to argue back, but couldn't. She shook her head in defeat before meeting eyes with Daryl. The redneck stood up and kissed Jenna on the forehead before turning to leave. Jenna held her tears no longer and started to cry._

"_You'll thank me for this one day, Jen." Daryl said from the doorway, not even turning around to look at her as he spoke, "You and that kid are gonna have a happier life without me in it." Grabbing his jacket from a hook by the front door, Daryl wiped a stray tear from his cheek and left._

_-END FLASHBACK-_

Daryl shook his head as Mia buried her head in his shoulder, the occasional soft sniffle escaping her. Mia needed him, but so did Merle, and Mia had a lot more capable hands to take care of her at camp than Merle did on that damn roof. Daryl looked up, not too far away from them was Lori, watching them carefully with a small, approving grin on her face as she washed up some plates from lunch. Daryl tipped his head to her and she did the same. That woman was a saint, the way she helped take care of Mia. In Daryl's mind, she was so much better at it than he was.

"When will you be back, Daddy?" Mia's soft voice pulled Daryl from his thoughts, he put her on the ground in front of him and gently lifted her chin so that she was looking directly in to his eyes.

"I dunno, Mia. But I _will _be back an' that's the thing you gotta remember, okay?"

Mia nodded her head. "Yeah. Daddy."

"Good girl, now go play." Daryl told her, pointing towards Carl and Sophia. Mia nodded her head and turned and sulked off in their direction. Daryl picked up his crossbow and arrows from beside him and headed impatiently towards the truck they would be driving to the city. He tossed his weapon in the back and pulled himself up before hitting the side of the truck three times, loudly.

"C'mon, let's go!" he yelled to those who would be joining him. The new boy, Rick Grimes as well as T-Dog and Glenn. Their attention was forced to Daryl and they nodded, saying goodbye to their loved ones before joining Daryl in the truck. Daryl's attention fell on Mia, who looked sad. She stood, her little boots scuffing the mud on the ground below her as she offered a small wave. Daryl raised his hand in farewell before slamming the truck door shut, and the van departed.

"Hey, Mia?" Carl said from behind the little girl. Mia turned around and smiled at the boy behind her.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going down to the lake to catch frogs with Shane, you wanna come?"

Mia giggled. "'Kay then," she accepted happily. She took Carl's hand and the two carefully made their way down to the quarry lake.

'It's okay,' Mia told herself in her head. 'If Daddy says he'll be back then Daddy will be back.'

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><p><strong>Again, thank you to all who reviewed the first chapter, I look forward to hopefully hearing from you all again, especially <em>SaraLostInes. <em>I hope this chapter explained things that were nagging you, even if it was just a little bit :D More backstory (and explanations) to come.**

**Until next time ... Kenna x**


	3. Jim's Okay, He Just Needs Rest

**A/N – Two chapters in one day, that is how much I love you reviewers :D This chapter is very Mia-centric, just to give you guys a bit more insight to her character. Daryl will be back fighting next chapter though, I promise! :D**

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><p>Mia was used to Daryl being away. More than she was used to him being around. She knew that it was probably a bad thing, but it was just the way things were. Her Mummy had told her many stories about her father and showed her many pictures, telling her just how much she looked like her Daddy.<p>

Before Mummy got bit, Mia only saw Daddy in person on a few occasions. He'd say hello, but not much else. Mummy always assured Mia that it was because Daddy was a very busy man and he had to work a lot in order to take care of Mia.

Daryl was Mia's hero, and Daryl didn't have a clue.

Whilst Shane and Carl were splashing about in the water, Mia sat quietly on a rock nearby. She giggled every so often at Shane's attempts at catching frogs, but her mind was on one thing, and one thing only: Daryl.

Was he okay? Was Uncle Merle okay? Mia wasn't too fussed about the latter, she'd never cared much for Merle. He was rude, always drunk and never seemed to like her that much.

"Carl, Mia," Lori's voice called them from not too far away as she approached, "What did I tell you both, huh? Don't leave Dale's sight." Lori helped Mia off the rock and ushered them both back towards the direction of camp. They both did as they were told.

"Did your Mommy and Shane have a fight?" Mia asked Carl as they walked. Both children glanced over their shoulder, neither adult looked to thrilled with the conversation they were having. Carl shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno. Grown ups always fight. But they make up most of the time, so it's okay." Carl told her. Mia smiled.

…...

"Why is Jim digging?" Mia asked Dale, later that afternoon. After spending some time admiring the amount of fish brought back by Amy and Andrea, the young girl had joined the kind old man on the roof of his beloved RV. Dale was watching Jim carefully, he had been digging at the top of a hill in the scorching heat for almost two hours.

"I have no idea," Dale told Mia, offering her a comforting smile, "How about you go and sit with Lori and Carl, and I'll go and ask him?"

Mia nodded her head and carefully climbed down the ladder at the back of the RV, closely followed by Dale.

Lori and Carl were sitting opposite the RV with Carol and Sophia. Various books and pieces of paper were spread out across the blanket on which they sat.

"Hi, Mia," Lori greeted upon noticing the little girl approaching, "You wanna do some colouring?"

Mia nodded her head and joined the four of them. Carol handed her some paper and crayons which Mia accepted with a smile and a polite' Thank you'. Mia already knew what she wanted to draw so she got right to work, starting with the face. She used the brown crayon to scribble on some hair on the head, and a little on the face. The facial expression bared a slight smile, and she dotted two eyes with a blue crayon. Lori watched with adoring eyes at the look of concentration on Mia's face as she drew.

"What are you drawing, Mia?" Sophia asked. Mia finished her drawing with an arrow pointing down, adding a few lines around it to make it look like it should. Smiling with accomplishment, Mia held up her drawing for all to see.

"It's my Daddy," she told them, matter-of-factly. She pointed to the squiggly looking arrow. "That's his crossbow."

"That's very good, Mia," Carol said with a smile.

"Sure is, kiddo," agreed Lori, "Make sure you give it to him when he gets back."

Mia nodded with a smile. "I will."

The groups attention was pulled in another direction at the sound of Morales's voice. "Everything okay, Dale?"

Shane stood from his seat out of the way of the group and made his way over to Dale, a move which Andrea, Amy, Jacqui, Lori and Carol shadowed. Mia, Carl and Sophia took a few steps closer to hear what was being said.

"I don't want to alarm anyone, but …" Dale pointed up to Jim digging on top of the hill, "He's been up there for hours. I tried talking to him but he won't say a word. He's just digging."

"Digging what exactly?" Shane asked, edging within whispering distance of Dale. No one but Shane heard what Dale said, but the look on Shane's face said everything. His face went cold, his eyes as hard as stone.

"Maybe we should all go up there?" suggested Morales.

Shane shrugged, "Couldn't do any harm I guess. Let's go."

The entire group started making there way up the hill. Lori turned to Carl and Mia. The younger girl was clinging to Carl's arm with vice grip.

"You guys stay back with Carol and Sophia, okay?" she told them. Carl and Mia nodded their heads. Carol and Lori shared and understanding nod as Lori made her way to the front of the group to talk to Jim. When they reached the top of the hill, Mia noticed not one, but many holes had been dug by Jim. Jim looked pale, and a thin layer of sweat was visible when shined on by the gleaming sun.

"Is Jim okay?" Mia asked Carl quietly as their were raised voices towards the front of the group. Carl gently took Mia's shoulders and turned her to face him, just in time for her back to be turned when Jim launched at Shane with the shovel he'd been digging with.

"Jim's going to be fine," Carl assured her, refusing to let her turn around, "He just needs to take a break is all."

Mia nodded. She wasn't quite sure she understood what was going on, but she trusted Carl.

"Come on, kids," Carol said, ushering the three children back in the direction of the camp site, "I don't think we're needed here."

Mia tried one more to see what was going on behind her, but her view was blocked by Carl. The young boy saw Shane wrestle Jim the ground and restrain the sick looking man with his hands behind his back. The sight freaked Carl out a little bit, so he knew that it would probably freak Mia out a lot more.

…...

For the majority of the rest of the day, Mia sat with Dale on the roof of the RV. Cross legged and playing with the two plaits which Lori had tied in her hair, Mia sat in silence and stared out in to the distance. Dale knew what she was doing. She was waiting; waiting for Daryl to return.

Down below the RV, Jacqui, Lori and Carol were preparing the fish for dinner whilst Andrea and Amy sorted out enough plates for the entire group. Mia briefly watched them work before returning her attention to the road.

"Will Daddy be back in time for dinner?" Mia asked Dale without her gaze leaving the road ahead.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I don't know." Dale told her, genuinely troubled that he couldn't give the young girl a more secure answer. Mia turned and saw the apologetic look on Dale's face.

"It's 'kay," she told him with a shrug and a smile. "He should be back, he must be awful hungry."

"Hey, check it out," Morales called from by the camp fire, "I built up the bricks a little higher." he pointed out his hard work for everyone to look at, "Now the fire can be larger and won't be seen."

"Alright. Nice going, man." praised Shane, admiring Morales's handy-work. Mia climbed down the ladder to get a look herself. The brick fire guard now only stood a little shorter than her.

"Dinner will be ready in twenty," announced Amy. Mia smiled, she sure was hungry. Shane helped Morales light the fire and the group gathered their chairs around it in preparation for dinner.

…...

Before joining the rest of the group to eat, Mia had one last look for an approaching truck. When she saw nothing, a little disappointment clouded her. The sun was down, that meant Daddy probably wouldn't be back until morning. She squeezed in and took a seat between Carl and Sophia and tucked into her fish.

Dinner was filled with small talk and laughter. Laughter was something that Mia didn't hear very often, so she couldn't help but smile along with the group.

Amy excused herself to go to the bathroom. Watching her leave, Jim caught Mia's eye. He looked a lot better. He was smiling and had a bit more colour to his face than he'd had earlier that day. Mia's attention then turned to Dale, who had finished his dinner and was sat winding his watch. She remembered what he had told her, 'It's important to keep track.' It was on of those things that grown ups said that kids never understood, but she had nodded along to his story nevertheless.

Looking towards the RV, Mia's high pitched scream matched Amy's perfectly as a Walker appeared out of nowhere and took a hard bite out of Amy's left arm. Panic ascended throughout the entire camp as Walkers appeared from every direction. Shane grabbed Lori, Lori grabbed Carl. Carl tried to grab Mia but the young girl slipped backwards as she tried to run and she was out of Carl's reach. Jacqui grabbed an axe and started swinging at any Walker who neared her. Morales had his baseball bat swinging at any Walker who dared come near him or his family who were cowering behind him. Shane took a protective stance in front of Lori and Carl, shooting any and every Walker he saw. Lori was screaming Mia to go to them as the three backed up to the RV. Mia looked to them and let out a terrified cry as she saw a second Walker chew hard into the skin on Amy's neck before it was shot straight through the head by Andrea, who fell sobbing at her baby sisters side. A Walker lunged for Mia as the frightened girl pulled herself to her feet. A gunshot rang out and the Walker fell to the ground, dead for good. From the bushes in the distance, Mia heard voices. One voice in particular made her tear filled eyes search through the chaos and destruction, desperately looking for the one person who could make her feel safe.

"Daddy!"

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><p><strong>Quite a slow chapter, but a necessary one :) Longer than normal as well because I want to please all you wonderful reviewers! I'm so glad that so many of you are enjoying the story! Please continue to review as I love hearing what you guys think. :)<strong>

**Next chapter: Some very protective Daryl, another flashback and my first mention of the CDC. Stay tuned kids!**

**Kenna x**


	4. Close Your Eyes, Mia

**Hey guys! How are we all today?**

**A/N - Just to let y'all know it's my birthday in a few days, so I have an extra long chapter for you here just in case I can't upload before then. Hope you all enjoy ...**

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><p>One scream. That was all it took.<p>

Daryl Dixon recognized the scream, and it sent a shiver right up his spine.

Mia. That scream came from Mia. Daryl looked to the others for confirmation that they heard it too. A quick pause and the realization hit Daryl like a ton of bricks. As soon as he started running, it was damn clear that no one was going to stop him or slow him down. Daryl concentrated on nothing except putting one foot in front of the other and letting instinct and adrenaline take care of the rest. Rick, T-Dog and Glenn followed close behind Daryl, their blood running cold when the screams multiplied and got a hell of a lot louder.

Daryl didn't know whether to scream or cry when the gunshots started ringing out. The camp was under attack. Daryl felt like he couldn't run fast enough. Every bone and muscle in his body ached, begging him to slow down but he only ran faster.

Even before the camp was in sight, Daryl screamed out "Mia!"

He loaded his crossbow, ready to fight back anyone, or any_thing _that was responsible for those screams. Running side by side with Daryl, Rick yanked the bag of guns from his back round to his front.

"Here!" he shouted, tossing Daryl, T-Dog and Glenn a shotgun each, "These'll be more useful!"

Daryl nodded, throwing his crossbow onto his back and loading the shotgun. Pointing the weapon ahead of him, Daryl silently vowed to himself that if Mia was okay that he'd never let her out of his sight again, and if she wasn't okay that he would never, _ever_ forgive himself.

_-FLASHBACK-_

"_Come on, D." Merle hurried his younger brother, "We gotta get us the fuck out of here!"_

_As the two brothers loaded their truck up with supplies, the panic which surrounded them was ascending into chaos. Army trucks paraded up and down the town, shooting anyone with any unexplained injury or a fever straight in the head. The military were not taking any chances. _

"_You got the pills? The antibiotics?" Daryl asked Merle. Merle responded with a smirk, holding up his bag of various drugs. Daryl went through everything in his head. They had food, water, clothing, weapons, gas and many other supplies. Their apartment was pretty much emptied of anything needed to survive an apocalypse. Daryl had no idea that he and Merle had so much stuff that could be handy. He allowed himself a few seconds to be impressed before securing the back of the van shut. The soldiers and their guns were starting to leave the safety of their vehicles, trying to move everybody out of the area as fast as possible so it was clear for decontamination. _

_Daryl was just about to climb into the passenger seat of the truck when he felt his phone ring in his pocket. Reading the Caller ID, Daryl wanted nothing more than to ignore it. But he couldn't, not at a time like this._

"_Jen, this ain't a good time. Me and Merle are 'bout to hit the road."_

_From the driver side seat, Merle was pointing at his watch, urging Daryl to speed himself up. Daryl nodded._

"_Hey Daryl," Jenna's voice was hoarse and weak. "Listen, I'm in the hospital and there's some weird stuff going on. Is there any chance you could come and take care of Mia for a few days?" _

"_The hospital, why? And how come your fella can't take care of her. She ain't my responsibility, Jen."_

_Daryl heard Jenna inhale deeply, struggling to continue._

"_He's dead, Daryl. My boyfriend is dead. He turned … turned into one of those things. Those mindless flesh eating monsters."_

_Daryl cursed to himself as Merle honked the horn, motioning to two soldiers who were heading in their direction. Daryl nodded, holding up one finger and mouthing 'One minute'. Merle sighed loudly and hit the steering wheel with both of his fists before climbing out of the car. He headed towards the soldiers, intent on buying them a couple more minutes before they were forced to move on._

"_What are you in the hospital for, Jen?" Daryl asked again._

"_I'm not going to be able to take care of Mia, Daryl. I wouldn't call you if their was anyone else."_

_Daryl sucked in a long breath, "You got bit, didn't you?"_

_He could hear Jenna start to cry over the phone, he took that as an answer to his question, a definite yes. Daryl looked to Merle who was talking to the soldiers who seemed to be growing more impatient by the second. Daryl sighed and cursed to himself, tapping the hood of the truck to signal to Merle that he was ready to go. _

"_Where is she?" Daryl asked._

"_At the recreation centre, round the corner from my house. They're expecting you."_

"_Okay, I'm going for her now. I'll be an hour, tops." Daryl told her as Merle climbed back into the driver seat, giving the soldiers the finger as they turned their back and carried on in the opposite direction. _

"_Thank you, Daryl. Keep her safe."_

_Daryl heard heavy footsteps on Jenna's end of the phone. All he could do is hold back a tear as he listened to the sound of gunshots ring out and the line went dead. Daryl threw his phone at the dashboard. Cursing out loud._

"'_the fuck's wrong with you?" asked Merle, heading for the main road. _

"_Jenna's dead, got bit. We need to go get Mia." Daryl told him. Merle's eyes widened as he slammed his foot on the brakes._

"_No fuckin' way! I ain't having a kid tag along. You're the one who said you wanted rid of that kid so we ain't going back for her now!" _

_Daryl slammed his fist onto the dashboard. "She's got no one, Merle. I'm all she has and I ain't gonna leave her to die."_

_Merle's eyes grew darker and angrier the more the younger Dixon argued with him. Daryl arguing back was not something the older brother was used to,_

"_You never gave a shit about that girl before. What's changed? Why the fuck do you all of a sudden wanna play Daddy?"_

"_I DON'T want that, Merle! That kid deserved better than me since day one but there is no way in HELL I am gonna leave my five year old daughter alone durin' a fucked up time like this. If you got a problem with that then just take me to Jenna's and LEAVE. See if I give a fuck! All I know is I ain't leavin' that little girl to fend for herself. I am NOT our FUCKING FATHER!"_

_Merle looked angry, but Daryl stared him down, refusing to let his older brother win. _

"_She can still do better than us, bro." Merle told Daryl as he turned the van around and headed in the direction of Jenna's._

"_What? You think I don't know that? You think if she had anyone else I'd have said yes?"_

_Merle shrugged his shoulders and kept his glare on the road ahead of him. Daryl rested on his arm which leant on the passenger side window. Merle may not have been thrilled that Mia had to come with them, but at the end of the day, Mia was blood; and Merle himself was proof that you don't abandon blood. _

_-END FLASHBACK-_

As they broke the clearing and entered the campsite, the sight of all of the Walkers made Daryl sick. He shot the first down without even thinking, and then his eyes started scanning the campsite.

"Mia! Mia, baby where are you?" Daryl screamed in desperation. He saw Lori Grimes with Carl. They were behind Shane and backing up towards the RV. Andrea was sobbing over Amy's body, the poor girl had chunks of her missing and was covered in blood. Daryl put two and two together and figured she'd been bit. The rest of the group were also backing up towards the RV, Daryl shot every Walker he saw without thinking twice.

"Mia!"

"Daryl, by the campfire!" screamed Lori, pointing at the tiny girl who stood by the fire guard, clearly too scared to move as Shane shot another Walker who approached her. Daryl closed the gap between himself and Mia in six steps, scooping the sobbing little girl into his arms and shootingt a Walker who dared enter their space. Mia buried her head in her fathers shoulder, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. Daryl backed towards the RV to join the rest of the group as Rick took down the last Walker. After the all-clear was given by Shane, Daryl dropped his gun and wrapped both of his arms protectively around his daughter, stroking her soft blonde hair as she sobbed in his arms.

"Shh, Mia. It's okay baby, Daddy's here." Daryl spoke softly to his daughter, desperate for her to stop crying. "I'm here, baby. I ain't going anywhere I promise, you got that?"

Daryl felt Mia nod slowly in his arms. He sat down, perching himself in the doorway of the RV. He positioned Mia so she was facing him, and wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"Did any of them get to ya, baby? Did any of them Walkers hurt you?" Daryl asked Mia when she stopped crying. Mia shook her head and Daryl released a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Mia held out her hand to Daryl.

"I saw one of them bite Amy." Mia told him with a sad sniffle, "I … I got scared and when I gotted up I slipped an' hurted my hand."

Daryl took her hand and planted a gentle kiss on her wrist. It was red and a little swollen but nothing felt broken, for which Daryl was relieved.

"Daddy, do I gotta sleep in Lori's tent tonight?"

"No, Mia," Daryl replied without hesitation, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead as she cuddled up to his chest. Hearing Mia's steady breathing as she relaxed in his arms, Daryl had never felt a larger surge of relief. Looking around, the same could not be said for others. Dead bodies lay scattered throughout the camp. The majority of them were deceased Walkers, but there were a few that belonged to people from camp. Andrea sat over her sisters body, screaming Amy's name as the younger sibling lay lifeless in her arms. Others, Daryl did not know by name but he'd seen them around camp.

Rick embraced Carl and Lori, Morales did the same with his family. Daryl counted himself lucky that he could be counted in the groups that hadn't lost anyone. He deeply felt for the ones that had.

"I remember," Daryl heard Jim say sadly, "The holes, I remember why I dug the holes. I had a dream. This was my dream." Jim sobbed as he took in the scene around him, he was comforted by Jacqui who placed a warm hand on his shoulder.

Daryl felt Mia move in his lap. The young girl fumbled around and withdrew a folded piece of paper from her pocket.

"I drawded this for you, Daddy." she told him, handing him her drawing from earlier that day. Daryl unfolded the piece of paper, and smile growing on his face as he took in the picture of himself.

"Is this me?" Daryl asked her. Mia nodded. Daryl folded up the picture and placed it carefully in his shirt pocket before pulling Mia into a hug.

"It's beautiful. I love it. Thanks, baby."

"S'okay, Daddy." Mia told him, planting a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Okay everybody, listen up." said Rick, softly, "I think it'd be best if we all stick close together tonight. So get all your stuff and get back here, Dale and I are gonna hang the canopy over the RV to give us all some shelter. We'll clear up this mess in the morning."

Daryl stood with Mia still secure in his arms, the little girl went to turn her head but Daryl gently cupped her chin in his hands and brought her eyes so they met his.

"Close your eyes, Mia," Daryl told her, not wanting her to see any more dead bodies than she had to. Mia did as she was told as Daryl carefully make his way back to his tent. T-Dog and Morales made a start on moving some of the bodies out of the way as Dale, Shane and Rick tried their best to make some shelter. Carol used a white sheet from her tent to cover the majority of the dead, ignoring the lifeless body of her deceased husband.

She just couldn't face it, not yet.

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><p><strong>Okay, I lied about mentioned the CDC. I apologise, I did have every intention of bringing it up in this chapter but I felt it would be better suited for the next one, so I hope that's okay with everyone (: <strong>

**Keep them lovely reviews comin', I just _love _to read them. See ya soon, kids!**

**Kenna x**


	5. It's Going To Be Okay

**A/N - _This _is how much I LOVE you guys. Tomorrow is my birthday so I've worked super hard to get you another chapter today so you don't have to wait too long for the next one! :D That's how much you amazing reviews mean to me. **

**Also, thank you so much to those who have wished me a Happy Birthday, I'm positive that I'm going to have a wonderful day.**

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><p>It was an uneasy night, to say the least.<p>

It wasn't easy for anyone to sleep after the events that had unfolded that evening.

Daryl didn't sleep at all. He sat up against a tree just outside of the canopy with Mia cradled in his arms, a canvas jacket of his that he never wore was wrapped around her for warmth. He sat listening to her soft breathing as she slept with her head rested comfortably on his shoulder. Shane had opted to take watch on top of the RV to give Dale a chance to sleep. Shane stood in complete silence, his gaze fixed on every possible place a Walker could appear from. Andrea had stopped sobbing, but Daryl felt that the silence that now clouded her was a lot more disturbing. The rest of the camp were trying to sleep, but Daryl could tell by the amount of twisting and turning that none of them were managing that well.

Daryl thought about Merle. His brother was out there alone, and minus a hand. Daryl knew that Merle could handle himself, but there was still a part of him that wished his older brother was back at the camp with them. Daryl pushed the worry to one side as he looked down at Mia. The tables had turned since he'd left camp the previous day, Mia was definitely the one who needed him more now and he'd be damned if he let her down again. Leaning his head back, glancing at the stars in the night sky above him, Daryl closed his eyes and tried his best to get a couple of hours sleep before the sun came up.

He never managed.

Mia stirred in his arms not long after the sun came up. They sat together in silence for a while as everyone else started to wake. Mia watched carefully as the camp started to move about. Daryl stroked her hair softly and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead before telling her to go and play with Carl and Sophia. She was a little reluctant at first, but she did as she was told.

"Always where Daddy or Lori can see you, okay Mia?" Daryl told her as she left, Mia turned and gave an understanding nod. Daryl watched his daughter as she walked away, his attention drawn away from her when a shadow suddenly cast out the sun.

"Grab you're pickaxe," Shane said, stood in front of Daryl with his hands on his hips, "It'll be a group effort to get this mess dealt with. You know what needs to be done."

Daryl nodded, pulling himself to his feet. Shane tipped his baseball cap before continuing on his rounds, approaching T-Dog and Morales to explain the plan for the morning.

...

The morning sun was sweltering. Mia watched Daryl as he forcefully dropped his pickaxe down through the dead brain of Walker after Walker. She didn't like it, not one bit, but Daddy had explained a lot of things about Walkers and she completely understood why what he was doing was necessary. Taking her eyes off Daryl, Mia looked over to Andrea. She was sat with Amy, and Amy was dead. Mia felt a tear drop down her cheek. Mia had always liked Amy, even though she never spoke to her very much, because Amy always smiled. A few people had tried talking to Andrea, but Andrea was too sad to talk, Mia figured. Mia knew exactly how Andrea felt, because Mia had felt just as sad when Daddy first told her that Mommy had died.

"Y'all left my brother for dead! You had this _comin_'," Daryl's voice startled Mia a little, she looked up to see her father storming off in the opposite direction. She wanted to follow him to make sure he was okay, but the three children were approached by Lori.

"Kids, this isn't really the place for you right now," she told them, "Why don't you go play in the RV and we'll come and get you when it's all cleaned up?"

Mia, Carl and Sophia all nodded in unison and stood up. Walking hand in hand, the three of them headed towards the RV, kicking dry dirt up as walked. As they walked past Jacqui and Jim who were bent down and about to move a body, Jacqui said something that caught Mia's ear.

"Are you bleedin'?"

The concern in Jacqui's voice caused Mia to come to a standstill, making Carl and Sophia stop walking too. The three of them warily stood close by, curiously taking a look at the blood stain on Jim's t-shirt.

"I just got some on me from the bodies," Jim told Jacqui. Whatever Jacqui said in reply was too quiet for the children too hear, but Mia could see the concern growing in Jacqui's eyes. She almost looked scared.

All of a sudden Jacqui was on her feet shouting, "A Walker got him. A Walker bit Jim."

Suddenly the entire camp was alert. Daryl was in front of Mia in an instant as the campers surrounded Jim. Rick came up behind and put an arm on Carl's shoulder, leaning down and telling him, "In the RV, now." His voice was gentle, calm but authoritative. Daryl turned to Mia, nodding at her to do what she was told and the three of them piled into the RV and crammed in to the two seater dining area towards the back.

"What's happening?" asked Sophia, sounding a little panicked. The three of them peered out of the window, outside still looked pretty hectic. Carl shrugged.

"Jim got bit by a Walker, I think. That's not good." Carl said. Mia looked up to him with inquisitive eyes, tapping the table in front of her as if she were playing a piano.

"My Mommy got bit." she told them. Sophia sat quietly, not wanting to bring up her monster of a father who had also been bit many times during the attack.

"Has anyone ever told you what happens … you know, if you get bit?" Carl asked Mia. Mia shrugged.

"No. But I think I figured it out after what happened with Mikey." Mia told him, softly.

"Who's Mikey?" asked Sophia.

"He was Mommy's boyfriend. He got bitted one day and he turned nasty," As Mia spoke, small tears dripped from her eyes. "He got home one day an' he wasn't Mikey no more. He was a monster. He tried to hurt Mommy and me. Mommy fighted him but he was so mean. He bitted my Mommy before she could make him go away."

As she continued to speak, Carl and Sophia felt tears threaten to fall. Mia didn't look up, her eyes remained on her hands which rested still on the table in front of her.

"Mommy got sick after that," Mia continued, "I had'ta go with some other people when Mommy went to the hopstical. That's when Daddy and Uncle Merle came and got me. They told me Mommy was gone," Mia's eyes snapped up, suddenly filled with fear "Is Jim gonna turn into a monster?"

Carl and Sophia swapped glances and shrugged. Mia returned her gaze to the table as the three of them sat in silence for what felt like ages. When raised voices were heard outside, the three of them did their best to make conversation to drown of the angry sounds.

"Sophia?" Mia said to the girl with tears rolling down her eyes. Sophia could hear her mother crying outside, crying that soon turned into pained sobs. Sophia looked up to Mia who held out her tiny hand to the older girl.

"I'm sorry 'bout your Daddy,"

Sophia took Mia's hand, wiping away her tears and allowing a small smile to cross her face. "Thanks, Mia."

…...

Daryl stood and watched as Amy began to move. His crossbow was armed and ready to fire if necessary. He crossed glances with Rick and Shane who also had their weapons drawn. They all wanted to fire, but Andrea was in their firing line. Daryl silently willed the older sister to do something. Amy's hunger for flesh was quickly getting stronger, visible when the younger sister grabbed on to Andrea's hair to pull herself up and closer to her first meal.

No one knew whether to be shocked or relieved when Andrea pulled out her gun and put that necessary bullet through Amy's head. The sound of the gunshot clearly freaked out the kids who came tumbling out of the RV to see what was going on. Carl ran to Lori, Sophia ran to Carol and Mia ran straight into the waiting arms of Daryl.

"It's alright," he told her, "It's going to be okay."

…...

Daryl was reluctant to take Mia up the hill to bury the dead at first, but it was either that or leave her with Jim. The latter was not an option Daryl was willing to consider.

As the dead were buried, Mia sat quietly in Daryl's arms. She shed a few tears for the people she had known before burying her head in her fathers shoulder, deeper than she normally would. That was her sign to him that it was all getting too much for her and he understood, tipping his head to those that were lost before turning and making his way back down the hill.

…...

The cool breeze hit earlier than normal, so the camp fire was lit before the sun went down. Daryl didn't sit with the others, but stood a few feet away with his gun in hand, keeping watch. He refused to be lured into a false sense of security. When Rick and Shane approached, clearly with something to say, Daryl crouched down behind Mia who was sitting cross-legged with a cup of water in front of her. Mia didn't turn when her father appeared behind her, but Daryl noticed her body relax when she felt him close by . He smiled to himself before planting a gently kiss on the top of her head. Shane motioned to everyone that he had something to say, and waited until everyone was listening before he started to speak.

"Me and Rick have been discussin' this plan of his. About the CDC. Although there are risks, and no guarantees, I still trust this man's judgement." Shane met eyes with Rick over the camp fire, "The most important thing, I believe, is that we stick together. Anyone who agrees, we leave first thing tomorrow morning."

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><p><strong>So there you have it :) A lovely chapter to keep you going for a couple of days! How about lots of lovely reviews as a birthday present? Because I know you're all that awesome! :D<strong>

**I'm considering another flashback in the next chapter, one where Daryl and Merle pick up Mia from the rec centre. What do you all reckon to that? Let me know in your reviews.**

**See you all in a couple of days kids! :D Kenna xx**


	6. The Wrong God Damn Call

**A/N - Hey y'all :D I'm back as promised after an amazing birthday. **

**Thank you for all of my birthday wishes, especially tomieharley and VivaLaAshie for your wonderful PMs.**

**Anyway, enough of my rambling, here is Chapter 6 with a flashback with some action, enjoy ...**

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><p>The trip to the CDC was an emotionally straining one for all.<p>

Before they even left, Morales informed the group that he and his family would not be accompanying them to the CDC. Mia had not known Morales and his family that well, but she was sad to see the other children go. Rick and Shane had given Morales a gun and some ammo, a gesture which Mia noticed her fathers discomfort at, and the family had left in a different direction. The remaining survivors packed up their belongings before hitting the lonely road.

Dale lead the group in his RV, accompanied by Glenn, Jacqui and a very ill Jim. Behind them were Rick, Lori, Carl, Sophia and Carol, who were closely followed by Andrea and T-Dog. Mia sat in the passenger side of Daryl's van, the same vehicle which picked her up that day from Simpsonville. There wasn't much talking during the journey, but Mia would often see her Daddy look over in her direction just to make sure she way okay. Behind Daryl and Mia, was Shane.

About halfway through the journey, their group got smaller. The RV broke down on the highway. Dale informed others that it needed a new part for the engine and while others were searching abandoned vehicles on the highway for a suitable replacement, Jim announced that he did not feel he could make the rest of the journey. Mia had joined the rest of the group to say goodbye to Jim as he was left behind through his own choice. Mia offered him a small wave goodbye with a tear in her eye before the group departed.

_-FLASHBACK-_

_The roads were busy. Traffic was pretty much at a standstill as every person made their way out of the town. Luckily, or unluckily, for Daryl and Merle, they were the only crazy fuckers trying to get in to a town._

"_This is fuckin' crazy. There's a reason we're the only sons o'bitches trying to get in, you know? Notice the queue to get out. That should be us. Not ridin' in to save some kid who ain't even your responsibility."_

_Merle had been rambling on for pretty much the whole journey. After half an hour, Daryl had stopped listening. Even though Merle was moaning, Daryl knew that if every part of the older Dixon truly didn't want to go for Mia, Daryl would have had to have found his own ride to Simpsonville. _

_Staring out of the window at the opposite side of the road, Daryl noticed that the majority of cars had been abandoned. The poor folk who were still sat in their cars were not going anywhere anytime soon. _

_Daryl spotted Walkers as soon as they drove past the 'Welcome To Simpsonville' sign. Military were desperately trying to keep the Walkers out of the town, but they were becoming quickly outnumbered._

"_Holy shit!" said Merle, reaching across to the glove compartment and pulling out a hand gun, "You'll be lucky if that kid's still alive, D."_

"_Don't." warned Daryl, as he pulled his crossbow from the back seat and ensured it was loaded, "Don't even say that."_

_Merle rolled his eyes and continued to drive. Driving past Jenna's house, Daryl felt his heart beat hard against his chest. It was the sight of a riot; windows smashed,front door missing and two Walkers wandering about on the front garden. Daryl tried hard not to pop a round through their skulls off principle. _

"_Shit." said Merle as he applied the cars brakes when the reached their destination. The entrance appeared to be barricaded shut as two Walkers were banging hard on the doors, trying to fight their way in. Daryl went to get out but was stopped by Merle who handed the younger Dixon his hand gun._

"_In and out, quickly!" he told him. Daryl nodded, leaving the crossbow and taking Merle's gun. Without Merle saying the exact words, Daryl understood. Daryl's crossbow had to be reloaded after every shot, Merle's hand gun didn't. Daryl's crossbow only had a limited supply of ammo, so when one arrow was fired it then had to be retrieved. Merle's hand gun fired, killed and the job was done. Daryl's crossbow was heavy, Merle's hand gun could be tucked into Daryl's waistband when not being used. Just this once, Merle's gun was the better weapon to have. _

_Shooting the two invading Walkers with two clean shots through the brain, Daryl sprinted up the entrance steps and banged on the entrance door._

"_Hello!" he shouted, "Let me in, I ain't infected." Daryl slammed his fists on the door three more times when no one answered. "Hello! Anybody in there?"_

_Still no answer, Daryl turned to Merle who shrugged before pointing out three more Walkers heading in their direction. Daryl cursed to himself, becoming more desperate by the second as he continued to bang. Frustrated, Daryl aggressively tried turning the handles to open the door but to no avail. _

"_I know you're in there!" he yelled, slamming both fists hard onto the door, "Jenna Matlock sent me for Mia. Mia!" _

_Merle climbed out of the car and grabbed his shotgun out of the back of their truck, shooting down any Walkers who were starting to head their way._

"_Noise is bringin' em here, D." Merle told him, "We'll be surrounded by Walkers soon. Here." Merle tossed Daryl a shotgun, "Try a back entrance. I'll stay here. In and out, you hear me?"_

_Daryl nodded his head, sprinting around to the back of the building and desperately searching for another way in. Following the pathway lead him to a closed gate, a gate that seemed to have once been locked but now appeared to have been forced open. Pulling it open silently, Daryl shoved the handgun in his waistband and aimed his shotgun out in front of him. The fire exit at the back of the building was slightly ajar, so Daryl carefully pulled it open before silently stepping inside. The corridor which welcomed him was dark, with only the odd light flickering every so often. The corridor was lit up ever so slightly by lights which remained on in other rooms. Treading carefully, listening for the slightest sound, Daryl took a few steps forward towards the first room which gave out light. Peering around the door before opening it completely, Daryl called out his daughters name. When there was no answer, he entered the room shotgun first. It was most definitely empty, just a tiny office. Daryl exited the room and continued his search._

_As he neared the end of the downstairs corridor, Daryl heard a soft cry followed by a panicked shuffle. Looking to his left, he saw movement in the shadowed space under the stairwell. Pointing his shotgun into the darkness, Daryl took a step closer._

"_Mia?" he said softly, and quietly, "Is that you?"_

_Daryl was silent as he listened for a reply, he heard soft breathing getting faster before it turned into a saddening cry. Daryl lowered his weapon, realising that whoever was under the stairs could probably see him aiming a gun in their direction. Not letting his guard down, still very aware of his surroundings, Daryl crouched down and held out a hand._

_Movement in the darkness, and a tiny little girl crawled out to meet Daryl. Her blonde hair was messy and dirty and as she looked up, Daryl saw that her eyes were bloodshot and tired. _

_It broke Daryl's heart when he realised this little girl was his daughter, and she was terrified and alone. _

"_Mia?" Daryl said quietly, frightened that raising his voice even a little would scare her away, "It's alright, come on I'm gonna get you out of here. You're gonna come with Daddy."_

_Saying those words felt wrong to Daryl. He had hardly been a part of her life at all, he had no right to call himself her 'Daddy'. Mia crawled out a little further before standing up and wiping her face with her hand. She'd grown a good few inches since Daryl had last seen her, but still had all of her delicate, beautiful features. Daryl's eyes, and Jenna's nose and lips. Treading carefully, still a little wary, Mia made her way over to Daryl, wiping her tears as she walked. _

"_That's it, good girl." Daryl said and Mia walked to him, "Are you okay? Where's everybody else?"_

"_Was only me and Miss Lucas," Mia told him, her voice a little hoarse from crying, "But she gotted all hot and started hurting. Then she stopped talking and when I heard the bangs I gotted scared and hid."_

_The realisation of what Mia told him hit Daryl like a ton of bricks as he heard slow, unhurried footsteps approaching them from behind, followed by a lifeless groan. Daryl scooped Mia up with his left arm, turning on his heel and pulling the handgun out with his right. Walking towards them with hunger in her eyes was Miss Lucas, a Walker._

"_Mia," Daryl got his words out quickly, "I need you to close your eyes and cover your ears, can you do that for me?"_

_Miss Lucas was approaching them faster as the smell of their fresh flesh crowded her. Mia buried her face in Daryl's chest and covered her ears with her hands._

"_Good girl." Daryl told her as he pulled the trigger of the gun, the bullet slicing straight through Miss Lucas's head causing her to drop down to the floor, dead. Daryl heard a long honk from outside, Merle's way of telling him to hurry up. Daryl shoved the handgun back in his waistband and picked up the shotgun. _

_The front entrance was bolted from the inside. Noticing that Mia still had her ears covered, Daryl aimed the shotgun and fired. The bolt that held the door crumpled to the floor and Daryl ran. He kicked the door open, squinting when the bright light from outside clouded his vision. Merle climbed into the drivers seat and started the engine as soon as he saw his younger brother emerge from the building. Daryl sprinted round to the passenger side door and climbed in, keeping Mia in his arms as the little girl refused to let go. Merle shot one last Walker who stood in their path and then the three of them put Simpsonville in their rear view mirror._

_-END FLASHBACK-_

By the time the group reached the CDC, it was nearly dark. Parking a safe distance away from the CDC building, the group grabbed their essentials before beginning their short, but distressing walk.

"Mia, baby. Stay close, and try not to look." Daryl told his daughter at his first sight of the hundreds of dead bodies that lay scattered over the road in front of them. Mia kept one hand on Daryl's trouser leg, her eyes squinted shut as she walked using her father as guidance. It was like a messed up obstacle course of dead, decaying bodies. The smell lingered in the muggy air and everyone had to try hard not to throw up. The group weaved in and out trying hard not to step on any of the dead. Daryl wished more than anything that he could hold his daughter in his arms and shield her from this sight, but being so close to the city this close to sun down, Daryl needed to be sure he could fire at any Walkers when necessary. His crossbow was loaded and ready. The building stood large in the centre of the scene of destruction, surrounded by military trucks which had long since been used. Rick and Shane approached the building first, knocking hard on the shutters which covered the entrance. Everyone watched in desperation, waiting for the shutters to open. They didn't, and that's when Rick started shouting.

Mia watched from behind Daryl as the group started to look worried when the shutters remained closed. Turning around, her heart skipped a beat in her chest.

"Daddy!" she squealed, grabbing Daryl's arms and forcing him to turn in the direction on an approaching Walker. Daryl raised his crossbow and fired, the Walker hit the ground in an instant.

A small growl erupted in Daryl's chest as he made his way forwards to Rick. "What in the _hell _are we doing here?" Daryl shouted at Rick.

"He made a call," Dale told Daryl, trying to be a comforting as possible.

"It was the wrong god damn call!" Daryl shouted back, looking to Mia who looked terrified as more Walkers seemed to take notice of the survivors. Lori sprinted to Rick who was slamming on the shutters and shouting to anyone who may be inside. Lori desperately tried to drag Rick back.

"Please," Lori begged him, "We have to go, we can't be this close to the city after dark."

Tears started running throughout the group as all looked lost. No entrance to the CDC, no fuel to go anywhere else. Mia ran to Daryl with tears streaming down her cheeks, tugging on his trouser leg and pointing at the many approaching Walkers. Daryl tossed his crossbow onto his back and lifted Mia up into his arms. The terrified child hid her face in his chest and started to cry.

"Screw this!" exclaimed Daryl, "We gotta get outta here, _now_!"

Shane managed to grab Rick, pulling him away whilst the Sheriff still screamed for someone to help them. The group started to make their way back to their vehicles, unable to hide their fear. Before they got far, the shutters opened with a clank and the group was drowned in bright, white light.

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><p><strong>Dum dum dummmmmm!<strong>

**Oooooooh, lots of CDC next chapter along with lots of Daryl and Mia, hope you're all excited :D**

**Peace out! Kenna xxx**


	7. Okay To Be Scared

**A/N - Just a short one today to tell you guys how much I loved writing this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it :) Let me know, yeah?**

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><p>"Everybody in!" shouted Rick.<p>

It took a good few seconds for eyes to adjust to the bright light. As soon as the realisation hit that stood before them was a open door to the CDC, the group couldn't move fast enough. Rick and Shane ushered everybody inside before entering themselves. Daryl ran with Mia in his arms, placing her carefully on the ground once inside before helping to secure the door closed so that no Walkers could follow them inside. For a few seconds, all stood still as they tried to catch their breath. Once calmed, the survivors took a chance to eye their new surroundings. The main hall of the CDC was massive, and deserted. Up above them were balconies to higher floors which showed no signs of ever been used. Shivers ran up Daryl's spine as he realised how panicked the place they now stood must have been in the past, yet now there was no sign that the building had ever been in use. There was not another person in sight. That was, until, they heard the familiar sound of a gun being cocked. Shane, Rick and Daryl turned and pointed their loaded weapons into the darkness in which the threatening sound had come from.

A tall figure stepped out of the shadows, a rifle clutched in his hand and aimed in the direction of the group. Lori pulled Carl and Mia behind her, Rick and Daryl took a protective position in front of the three of them as the unknown man came to a halt at a safe distance away from them. Mia and Carl exchanged glances as the two children realised something that the adults had not yet seen themselves. That man was _not _threatening them, he was threatened _by _them. Mia was the first to pick up on the scared look on his face and when she looked to Carl, she knew that he'd noticed to.

"What do you want?" the lone man asked, his weapon remaining in its position, pointed at the survivors. Rick took a small step forward, his gun pointed towards the threat.

"A chance, we just want a chance." Rick told him.

"That's asking an awful lot these days." the man replied. The group exchanged glances before Rick returned his attention to the man with a gun pointed at them. He didn't seem aggravated or annoyed like any other person with a gun might be, Rick noticed this and realised the same as the children had previously.

"I know," said Rick. "and I wouldn't normally ask but _please_, we're desperate."

The weapon was lowered ever so slightly as the man appeared to be considering Rick's proposal. Mia watched carefully and silently from behind Lori. The man asked Rick if any of the group were infected. Rick told them about Jim, how he'd been infected but they had to leave him behind. The man seemed satisfied, making a deal with Rick that everyone must submit to a blood test to enter. Rick agreed. The group started to follow the man towards an elevator. Daryl took Mia's hand as the group crammed into the small lift.

Mia stood close to Daryl in the elevator. The man introduced himself as Dr Edwin Jenner. Mia looked up to her father who still seemed a little wary of him, as did most of the group.

"Doctor's always go round packin' heat like that?" Daryl asked Jenner.

Mia didn't hear Jenner's reply, she suddenly realised how incredibly tired she was and how she had to fight to keep her eyes open. Sophia looked about as tired as Mia did, the two girls met eyes and smiled at each other before Mia leant against Daryl's right leg and closed her eyes. Daryl felt the extra weight on his leg and looked down. The sight of his daughter worried him a little as he crouched down to her level, gently cupping her chin and lifting her face too look at him. She blinked slowly

"You alright, baby?" Daryl asked her. Mia half opened her eyes and gave her father a slight nod.

"Jus' sleepy, Daddy." Mia told him. Daryl repositioned his crossbow on his back and carefully lifted Mia into his arms. She fell asleep almost immediately. The group followed Jenner out of the elevator which lead them on to a long corridor. Daryl looked around as they walked. Along the corridors were many closed doors, Daryl made a mental note to have a browse through some of the doors later on as he didn't much like the idea of not knowing his surroundings. The walls, ceilings, doors and door frames we a hospital beige, hospitals had always made Daryl feel uneasy. This place screamed 'Hospital', and Daryl didn't like it. Daryl kept a firm but gentle hold on his daughter as they walked. Mia didn't know it, but at that second it was she who was acting as Daryl's security blanket instead of the usual vice versa. The feel of Mia's steady breathing was relaxing to Daryl as he took his breaths to match his daughters. Brushing his fingers up and down the soft material of the dress which covered Mia's back, Daryl gently kissed his daughter's head before taking a breath in, inhaling her delicate scent and feeling his body relax immediately.

Before taking the group for their blood tests, Jenner lead them to the main lab. A large circular room with several computers in the centre which all faced a massive, wall mounted computer screen.

"Welcome to Zone 5." Jenner said to the group as a bright halo-like light lit up the entire room from above them. Daryl sighed and shook his head. Zone 5 was just another part of the building that was inactive, empty and abandoned. Daryl didn't know whether to laugh or cry when the group learned that the only thing that accompanied Jenner was an AI computer named Vi.

On their walk to the room where Jenner was to issue the blood tests, Mia started to wriggle in Daryl's arms. The little girl was still fast asleep, but the quiet cries of distress that came from her squirming body alerted Daryl to the fact that she was probably having a bad dream. Mia's cries were heard by Lori, who slowed down to Daryl's pace, a look of concern lingered in her eyes.

"Everything okay?" she asked. Daryl nodded his head, lifting Mia into a more comfortable position and rocking her gently.

"I gotcha, Mia," he whispered to her, "Daddy's here."

It did not take long for Daryl's words to take effect as Mia once again relaxed in her fathers arms, Lori offered Daryl a friendly smile before jogging to catch up with Carl and Rick. Daryl smiled to himself as he watched his daughter sleep, and just for a few seconds he forgot everything. The Walkers, the apocalypse and the fact that his brother was out their and Daryl didn't know if he was dead or alive. For those few seconds, all that mattered was that Mia was with him, and she was safe.

Daryl happily let Jenner take his blood, but he had refused to let the man near a still sleeping Mia with a needle. Before things got too heated, Rick reasoned with Jenner and both agreed that Mia, Carl and Sophia needn't submit to the blood test, they were only children, after all. Daryl nodded in appreciation to Jenner, Jenner nodded back and lead the group somewhere to get them some food.

…...

Alcohol.

A substance that no one in the group had touched in quite some time. At dinner, a lot of alcohol was passed around the table and after an hour, the only adults who remained remotely sober were Carol, Dale and Andrea. Mia had never seen her father drunk before, Daryl smiled for the first time in god knows how long when he saw how much his behaviour when drunk made Mia giggle. The delicious food was shovelled down as though the group thought they would never eat again. Every mouthful bought joy to their taste-buds and no one stopped eating until their stomachs physically couldn't hold anymore.

"So when you gonna tell us exactly what happened here, Doc?" Shane said out of nowhere, the laughter fading almost immediately as everyone glared at Shane.

"We're celebrating," Rick told his friend, "We don't wanna do this now."

Nevertheless, Jenner explained why he was the only remaining doctor. He told the group how a lot of people left when things started getting bad, mainly to be with their families. He explained how, when things got worse, the remaining people bolted. Mia's least favourite part of Jenner's story was the part of the many people who couldn't face walking out of the door, people who 'opted out' as he so distressingly put it. The pain in Jenner's eyes as he told the story was enough for the group to realise what an awful situation it was, and how lucky they were to find him still there.

"Dude. You are such a buzzkill, man." a drunken Glenn told Shane. Daryl and T-Dog nodded in agreement. The rest of dinner was filled with uncomfortable silence.

When Daryl, who was far from sober, collapsed face down on a sofa which would be his bed for the night, Mia tucked him in with a kiss on the cheek before running off to spend the night with Sophia and Carol. It was an early night, but the girls were happy to take every second of sleep they could get.

…...

After breakfast, the group accompanied Jenner back to the lab. As much as they appreciated Jenner's hospitality, they hadn't forgotten their reasoning for coming to the CDC in the first place. Mia held tight to Daryl's hand as they walked. Daryl seemed to be the only member of the group who didn't suffer from a hangover. As soon as everyone was in the lab, the group made themselves comfortable. Daryl lifted Mia onto one of the counters where she stood leant on the shoulder of Daryl, who leant on the counter right next to her.

"Give me a playback of TS-19," Jenner called out.

"TS-19?" Andrea asked as the computer screen on the wall lit up with an image of a human brain.

"A victim of a bite who volunteered to have us record the process," Jenner told them. The close up of the brain showed little lights, that look similar to lightning bolts, bouncing back and forth through different parts of the brain. Mia was mesmerised by the image on screen and found it hard to look away.

"The flashes of light, are simply the things that make you, _you_." Jenner explained, before the image changed and the lights started to fade out. Jenner explained how, when bitten, the bite invades your brain and spreads like meningitis. After a few minutes, the image of the brain was completely black.

"When you die, your brain shuts down. Everything that you are, is gone." Jenner told them.

"And then what happens?" asked Shane. The questioned was answered swiftly as the image changed once more. Towards the bottom of the brain, a small orange spark lit. Tiny yellow bolts, much smaller than the previous blue ones, shot out of the spark but didn't travel far in the brain.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori said, almost sounding shocked.

Jenner shook his head, "Just the brain stem. Basically enough to get you up and moving."

The group watched the screen, unable to tear their eyes away. Mia thought hard about what Jenner had told them before tugging gently on Daryl's shirt. Daryl turned to Mia, the look in his daughters eyes a mix of curiosity and sadness.

"Is that what happened to Mommy?" she asked him. Daryl sighed, his kid was too clever and observant for her own good. Daryl nodded his head sadly before looking to Mia for her response. Mia wasn't looking at Daryl, her big inquisitive eyes were locked on the computer screen. Daryl saw the silhouette of the gun and instantly stood in front of Mia, blocking her view so that she didn't see when the bullet sliced through the brain of TS-19.

"Vi, power down the main screen and the work stations." Jenner called out, and Vi did as she was asked. The group stood in silence for a long while, visibly troubled by what they had just seen. Everyone had questions, but Andrea was the first to speak.

"You have no idea what it is, do you?"

Nothing Jenner answered seemed to be good enough when the questions came pouring out. The adults lowered their voices as the questions got more serious. Mia, Carl and Sophia took that as a hint and the three of them gathered towards the back of the room where they sat on the floor in a small circle.

"The grown ups seem pretty freaked out," said Sophia, drawing invisible pictures on the floor with her fingers.

"It's because this doctor doesn't know anything," Carl told them, "We came here for answers but Dr Jenner doesn't have any." Carl peered over at the adults, Dale was talking to Jenner but none of them could make out what he was saying.

"Do you think we is safe here?" Mia asked, looking to either of the older children for an answer.

"I …..." Carl started to answer but stopped when Vi's voice spoke over them all.

"_When the power runs out, facility wide decontamination will occur." _

All eyes widened as Vi's voice echoed through the room, Mia looked to her father who had his head in his hands. Rick looked to Carl, and motioned to his son for the children to return to their parents. Mia watched as Dr Jenner left the lab, his head hung in defeat and hands buried deep in his pockets. When she turned back, Carl and Sophia had returned to Lori and Carol.

"Okay, here's the plan," said Rick once Jenner was out of ear shot, "Me, Shane, Glenn and T-Dog will go and check out these generators. The rest of you go back to the rooms and try not to worry." Rick approached Lori and put his hands on her shoulders, "We'll figure this out."

Lori wiped a tear from her eye and nodded her head, taking Carl's hand and leading the group out of the lab. Daryl picked up half a bottle of whiskey from Jenner's desk and made his way back to his room, expecting Mia to follow Carol and Sophia.

She didn't.

Standing in the doorway, Mia watched a Daryl took a rather large swig out of the bottle which he held in his hand_s. _He paced the room, unaware of Mia's presence until she made him aware.

"Daddy, you 'kay?"

Daryl turned in a hurry, startled by Mia's voice. The little girl did not enter fully, just stood at the door, nervously gnawing on her hands and shifting her weight between both of her feet. Her behaviour and posture reminded Daryl just how young she really was. Daryl screwed the lid back on the bottle and placed it down on a table. He had no idea what to say to Mia, he had no idea how he could make her feel safe when he didn't even feel safe himself.

"I'm alright," Daryl told her, sitting on the couch and motioning to her to come inside, "You alright?"

Mia walked in slowly, shrugging her shoulders as she walked. Daryl patted the couch next to him for Mia to sit. Mia climbed up next to him and instantly in to his lap. Daryl didn't argue, he let Mia get comfortable in his arms.

"You isn't okay Daddy. You look sad. Are you sad?"

Daryl took a deep breath, looking down at Mia who looked at him in a way Jenna used to. A look that told him that he better tell the truth. So he did.

"I ain't sad, baby. I'm scared. It's ok to be scared, but I promise you that I ain't gonna let anything bad happen t' you. I'm gonna protect you and I'm gonna keep you safe no matter what. You hear me?"

Mia nodded. "S'okay Daddy. I'm scared as well, an' I'll look after you too." Mia kissed his cheek before nuzzling her head deep into his chest. Daryl wrapped his arms around his daughter and held her tightly in his arms. He doubted that anything in the near future could wipe the smile off his face.

He was wrong.

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><p><strong>Awww :) I hope you all liked it, can't wait to hear what you think. Hope all my US friends enjoy the new episode tonight!<strong>

**Oooooh, before I go I need some opinions. Next chapter it obviously all kicks off, I just want to know how you guys see Daryl reacting. Overly angry? Angry but tries to keep calm for Mia? Leave your thoughts in your reviews as I'm struggling a bit if I'm honest.**

**Thanks guys :D Kenna x**


	8. What's Gonna Happen To Us

**So here it is, the final installment of the Series 1 part of the story :) Definitely my favourite chapter to write, it was awesome! Thanks for your reviews, they're amazing as are all of you!**

**Now, I need some help from my wonderful readers, with regards on where to now take the story. I am unsure whether to stick to the TV series or veer off in another direction. Opinions please in reviews or PMs. I will write whatever you guys want to read :)**

**Again, thank you for your wonderful reviews, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter...**

* * *

><p><em>-FLASHBACK-<em>

"_Uncle Merle, why you gotta go to the city? Why can't you wait til Daddy gets back?" Mia followed an increasingly irritable Merle around the camp site as he prepared to leave with some of the other survivors. _

"_'Coz that's what grown ups do." he told her, "We fetch things back so that you kids won't starve to death." Merle fumbled around inside his tent and pulled out some cigarettes and his lighter. Mia scowled behind his back, crossing her arms and frowning._

"_But Daddy already left, why you gotta go too?" Mia stomped unhappily after Merle as he made his way into Daryl's tent looking for a clean shirt to borrow. Merle noticed his younger brothers hit flask, helping himself to it and shoving it in his jacket pocket. _

"_I ain't your guardian, missy. Some day you're gonna need to learn to take care of yerself, why not start today?" Merle pulled a knife out of his boot and handed into to his niece, "Here, go practice some combat skills."_

_Mia looked at the knife, her frown turning into an unmistakable look of confusion as she held the knife at arms distance as though she thought it would attack her. Merle rolled his eyes and let out a soft sigh, crouching down to Mia's level. _

"_You need to learn to keep yerself safe, go fight some squirrels or sum'in." Merle chuckled to himself, completely unaware of his irresponsibility as he strolled toward the rest of the group, not noticing the glares he was receiving off Mia who had dropped the knife in Daryl's tent before following her Uncle. _

_Before climbing in to the van with the people he'd be accompanying, Merle caught Lori's arm as she walked past him._

"_Don't let that kid outta your sight, lady." Merle's voice was quiet but threatening. If it weren't for the fact that Lori could have sworn she detected a hint of worry in Merle's voice, she would have yanked her arm back before providing Merle with a glare a lot like Mia's. Instead, Lori nodded. Merle nodded back and the rest of the group waved as they set off. Mia stomped over to Lori, a glare still obvious across the little girls face._

"_Don't worry, Mia." Lori told her, resting a comforting hand on the young girls shoulder, "Your Uncle Merle will be back before you know it."_

_Mia shrugged, "Who cares. He's mean and hates me. I don't care if he never comes back."_

_-END FLASHBACK-_

"Are we ever gonna see Uncle Merle again?" Mia asked.

Daryl was sprawled out across the couch, flicking through a pamphlet that's he'd found in a desk drawer. Mia couldn't settle, she had so many questions on her mind that she wanted answers to so she started with, what she thought, was the easiest. As soon as Mia had asked, she knelt down by the couch, resting her chin on the soft cushion and looking up to Daryl for his response.

"I sure hope so," was the only thing Daryl could think of to say, gently stroking Mia's face with his fingertips. Mia didn't seem very satisfied with the answer she was given, but she accepted it. Mia took the pamphlet from Daryl and put it back in the desk drawer. Daryl sat up and watched his daughter, unsure of the reason for her odd behaviour. Mia didn't turn back to Daryl, she remained by the desk, her body faced towards the wall as she mumbled to herself.

"Mia," Daryl said softly, looking at his daughter but not moving from his seat, "Do you _want _to see Uncle Merle again?"

Daryl was more than aware that Merle's disapproval of Mia swung the other way too, so when Mia turned to face him and shrugged, Daryl was a little confused.

"I not sure." she told him, taking tiny steps over the room. Daryl watched her with a small smile on his face, trying not to chuckle at her little face trying to be all serious and grown up.

"I don't like Uncle Merle, but I think that I miss him. It's all very confuddling, Daddy."

Daryl couldn't help but laugh, holding out his arms when Mia gave him an adorable frown. Mia climbed into his arms and embraced her father with a soft sigh. Daryl stood up, gently rocking his daughter.

Outside of the room, Daryl began to hear voices. As the voices neared, they became raised and a little panicked. Daryl put Mia down to sit on the couch and then opened the door to see what was going on. He saw Jenner making his way down the corridor with a bottle of whiskey clutched in his right hand. He was being followed by Lori, Carol, Carl and Sophia who were asking him an awful lot of questions. Jenner said nothing in reply. When Jenner was about five yards from Daryl's room, the lights inside the room turned off with a soft _click _and the windowless room was pitch black in an instant, the only light seeping in was from the corridor outside. Mia gasped in fright and joined Daryl at the door as the main corridor lights turned off and were replaced by much dimmer emergency lighting.

"What the hell's going on, Doc?" Daryl joined the queue and started to follow Jenner. Andrea, Jacqui and Dale doing the same when the power was also cut in their rooms.

"Why is the air and the lights off in our room?" asked Andrea as the group followed an increasingly fast Jenner down the corridor. Daryl followed near the back, Mia stayed as close to him as possible.

"Energy use is being prioritised." Jenner told them. The group exchanged glances, worry clear in all of their expressions. Jenner picked up his pace and Mia, Carl and Sophia found themselves having to jog to keep up. The closer to the lab they got, the fast Jenner's pace became. The group became increasingly annoyed with Jenner's lack of useful information.

"Is air and light not a priority?" Andrea asked, struggling to keep up as the children found themselves running closely behind the group of adults.

"it's not up to me," Jenner said, turning round for a split second to look the group in the eyes before directing his stare back in front of him, "Zone 5 is shutting itself down."

"What the hell's that mean?" Daryl shouted to Jenner. Jenner said nothing, Daryl picked up his pace so that he was side by side with Jenner as he walked, "Hey, man! I'm taking to you. How can a building do anything?"

"You'd be surprised." Jenner's voice was calm, cool and collected. It made Daryl uneasy. Looking back, he saw Mia in Carol's arms, clearly exhausted from having to keep up. Daryl threw his daughter an apologetic look before returning his attention to Jenner. Lori sprinted forward upon hearing her husbands voice. Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Glenn all appeared from another entrance to the lab. Rick held up his hand to Lori, Lori nodded at his silent message and hung towards the back with the children as Rick sprinted over to Jenner.

"What's happening?" Rick asked him as they all followed Jenner to his work station in the centre of the room.

"The system is dropping all non-essential uses of power," Jenner told Rick, "It's designed to keep the computers running until the last possible second. It begins as we approach the half hour mark." Jenner pointed to the clock, "Right on schedule."

Mia looked at the clock. _00:31:28, 00:31:27,00:31:26. _The little girl squirmed for Carol to put her down, and Mia was placed gently on the ground where she stood silently and kept her eyes on nothing but Daryl. She just about heard Dr Jenner say something about the French holding out for the longest, and then something else about running out of fuel. The next thing she knew, Rick turned to the group, pointing for the exit.

"Right, that's it! Lori, get our things. Come on everybody, we're leaving."

Everybody listened to Rick. Nods were exchanged throughout the group before everybody started to leave towards their rooms. They didn't make it very far before a deafening alarm sounded throughout the lab. Mia covered her ears and searched the group for Daryl, he stood not to far from Jenner with an angry look on his face. Everyone's attention was then drawn to the main computer screen, as a large countdown clock appeared, shortly followed by Vi's voice.

"_30 minutes until decontamination." _

Everyone remained still, yet panicked. It was as if no one knew quite what to do. Shane shouted for everyone to listen to Rick, and to go and get their things so they could go. Daryl made a dash for Mia, who was stood in front of Glenn. Mia didn't notice. Her eyes were on Jenner who made a panicked run towards his desk. Before Mia could utter the word 'Daddy', their only exit sealed shut, trapping everyone inside. Mia looked up to Glenn, who looked completely horrified.

"Did he just lock us in?" he asked to no one in particular. His gaze was fixed on their only way out, which was no longer a way out.

Mia heard Carl scream for his Mom. The little girl then looked to Sophia who was crying in her mothers arms. Mia felt tears come to her eyes, making no effort to stop them falling as she squealed, "Daddy!"

She didn't have to wait long before she felt herself being pulled up into her fathers arms. Daryl held Mia and she sobbed into his chest, the little girl holding tighter than she had ever held him before. It made Daryl want to cry, but he couldn't. He looked to the person closest to him, Glenn.

"Here," Daryl said to Glenn, passing his sobbing little girl into Glenn's arms. Mia screamed when Daryl let her go, begging for him to take her back. Daryl swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I'll be back, baby," he told Mia, brushing her hair from her face and kissing her on the forehead. Looking to Glenn, who looked like he'd just been handed a bomb, Daryl gave him an incredibly pleading look before saying to Glenn, "Please keep her eyes away from this."

Glenn nodded and positioned Mia so that she rested on his hips, her head automatically buried in his shoulder away from the scary atmosphere around her. Glenn watched with wide eyes as Daryl charged at Jenner, grabbing the bottle of whiskey and aiming it at the Doctors head before being pulled back by Shane and T-Dog.

"Son of a bitch!" Daryl shouted, Rick, Shane and T-Dog struggling between the three of them to restrain him as he continued to hit at Jenner, "You open that damn door, _now_!"

Daryl didn't hear anything that was shouted at him. All he saw was red, pure anger. How dare he! How dare this _man _decide who lives and who dies. As he was being forced away from Jenner, Daryl threw a quick glance towards Glenn who was struggling to keep Mia from turning around. Daryl cursed to himself, feeling the bottle being grabbed out of his hand. He had made a vow to himself to keep Mia safe, and he helplessness which was building up inside him threatened to blow out with a roar at any second. Daryl took a deep breath before raising his arms in defeat and stepping away from Jenner, slamming his fists down hard on a desk.

"Jenner, open that door _now_," Rick's voice was a calmer than Daryl's, but just as authoritative.

"I can't." Jenner told them, "The place is on lock down, the emergency exits are sealed."

"Well open them then!" Daryl suggested, making a slow move back towards Jenner.

"That's not something I control, the computers do." Jenner told him, infuriating Daryl a little more.

Lori sighed as she gently ran her fingers through Carl's hair. Daryl losing his temper is not something the group could risk, because if anything happened to Jenner then there was no way any of them could leave. Lori knew of a way that might calm him down. Meeting Glenn's gaze from the other side of the lab, Lori motioned to Mia, before looking to Daryl. Glenn nodded, slowly walking to Daryl and handing Mia back to him without a word. Mia happily went back to her father, nuzzling her head deep in his chest as his familiar arms wrapped protectively around her and held her close. Daryl's breathing calmed immediately as he focussed all of his attention on his daughter.

"I told you," Jenner said to Rick, "I told you that once that door closed, it stays closed. You heard me say that."

Rick looked to Shane, who threw his friend an annoyed yet extremely worried glance. Daryl leant against a workstation, slowly running his fingertips through Mia's soft hair as her breathing steadied. He felt his heart rate settle, taking slow deep breaths which matched Mia's. When Daryl was satisfied that Mia had stopped crying, he returned his attention to Jenner and the situation at hand.

"It's better this way," Jenner said, his eyes on the floor. Daryl looked at the other survivors, relieved to see that they all seemed as confused as he felt. Lori noticed her husband slowly losing his patience.

"What do you mean?" Rick shouted, "_What _happens when the clock runs out, huh?"

When Jenner said nothing, Shane stepped forward and gave the Doctor a rough nudge before yelling "What _happens_?"

Everyone back up a little when Jenner shot up from his seat and shouted back at Rick and Shane. Mia listened as Jenner explained about the CDC. How it protected people, how it held on to things that people didn't want getting out, ever. He circled the group in his outrage, shouting a lot of things that Mia didn't understand. She didn't need to understand. She turned and saw the looks on others faces, and how they took a step back whenever Jenner neared them. It enough to tell her everything she needed to know. Daryl's grip tightened on her the louder Jenner spoke. Mia was glad of this, as Jenner was starting to really scare her. Glenn noticed this as he looked over towards the father/daughter duo. Daryl's face was one of threat, he was almost daring Jenner to go one notch louder.

Thankfully, Jenner finished his outburst and sat back down at his desk and continued to talk at an acceptable volume, "In the event of a catastrophic power failure, a terrorist attack for example, H.I.T's are deployed to prevent and organisms from getting out."

"H.I.T's?" asked Rick, unsure of the acronym.

"Vi, define," ordered Jenner, unable to look anyone in the eye.

"_H.I.T's - high-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosive consists of a two-stage aerosol ignition which produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen between 5,000 and 6,000 degrees and is used when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired."_

"It sets the air on fire," Jenner told them, looking at the three children separately as if they needed to understand, "No pain. An end to sorrow, grief, regret. Everything."

No one hid their panic, or their fear. Rick grabbed Lori and Carl, holding them both as they cried with fear. Sophia buried her head in her hands, Carol's arm wrapped around her shoulders as the mother broke down in tears. Andrea stared at the clock, her face emotionless and cold. Shane, T-Dog and Glenn were trying so hard to keep calm, but each of them had little cracks from with the fear was breaking out in a hurry. Dale buried his head in his hands, Jacqui placing a comforting hand on his back as she listened hard to what Jenner was saying. Mia's eyes widened with fear as her tears started to fall, her tiny fists hitting Daryl's chest as hard as she could.

"Please Daddy," she begged, "Please I don't wanna stay here. Can't we go now, Daddy?" Her words were broken by the cries that she tried to hold back, but couldn't. Daryl paced with Mia in his arms, whispering soothing words to her as if he thought they'd make a difference. He needed Mia to go to Lori so he could pound Jenner's face in and make him open the god damn door, but Mia wanted no one but him. No one but Daryl could make Mia feel safe.

Rick and Shane had stepped to one side to discuss a plan, so Daryl went to where Lori, Carl, Carol and Sophia were sitting and crouched down with Mia who was still sobbing into his shoulder.

"Mia? Mia, baby look at me." Daryl said, gently. Mia did as she was asked, looking to Daryl and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Y … yeah, D... D...Daddy?" she managed to say between her muffled cries. Daryl made sure her eyes met his before he continued.

"Do you trust me?" he asked his daughter. Mia nodded without hesitation.

"Good girl," he said, "I'm gonna get us outta here, okay? But I need you to sit with Lori. Can you do that for me?"

Mia looked round to Lori who gave her a soft smile, Mia turned back to Daryl and nodded. Daryl kissed Mia on the cheek before handing her to Lori, giving Lori and thankful nod.

Lori and Carol were sat a good distance away from Jenner and the exit with the children, so when Daryl past Jenner he didn't hesitate in giving him a rough shove.

"Open the door." Daryl told him, heading up to the exit with his axe. Before Jenner could make up some excuse of why he couldn't, Daryl turned again and this time yelled, "Open the _damn _door!"

Jenner said nothing. T-Dog tossed Shane a pickaxe and he and Daryl started pounding the door, swinging their weapons as hard as they could to try and break through. Daryl grunted as he swung, his arms starting to ache as he delivered blow after blow to the seemingly indestructible door. Everyone watched the two men with desperate eyes, praying that they could get the door open. Jenner sighed as he watched the two men grow tired yet continue to hammer at the door. Taking a pause to think of any other way to get out, Shane and Daryl walked back towards the rest of the group.

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." he told them.

A deep snarl erupted from Daryl's chest, "Yeah but your head ain't!" Daryl swung his axe at Jenner, missing him by inches as he was restrained by Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Dale. Daryl roared in frustration, throwing his axe to the floor. Mia refused to look, burying her head in Lori's side as her father lost his temper.

Daryl went up to Jenner and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, his spare fist right by the Doctors face. His words were quiet, but deadly.

"You got no idea what I'm capable of old man. 'Specially when it comes to that little girl." he motioned to Mia who watched her father from behind her tear filled eyes, "You let us outta here _now_, or you're gonna regret it. I promise you that!" Daryl fiercely shoved him back, his glare one of a man who was in no way ready to lose everything, and was willing to risk everything to make sure of it.

Daryl took a deep breath to calm himself before lifting Mia into his arms, leaving Jenner to consider his proposal. Mia held on tightly to her father as the others began to beg. They begged Jenner to open the door and give them a chance. They begged for him to let them try and survive, because unlike him, they had hope. Jenner put forward his argument but no one was interested. As the clock counted down, all anyone wanted to do was leave.

Shane was the next one to lose his patience, grabbing a shotgun and pointing it right between Jenner's eyeballs. The Doctor looked scared, but not scared enough to give in. Jenner genuinely didn't understand why the group wanted to be out there with those monsters. Rick begged and pleaded with Shane not to shoot Jenner. Daryl watched him, and part of him wanted Shane to kill him, stone cold dead at that very second. If it wasn't for the fact that Jenner was the key to their release, Daryl would have shot him already. Lori started to beg with Rick and Shane screamed, shooting at thin as as Daryl covered Mia's ears. Everyone ducked as Rick brought his friend under control.

_00:07:04, 00:07:03, 00:07:02, 00:07:01, 00:07:00, 00:06:59_

While Rick tried reasoning with Jenner, Daryl carried Mia up to the exit and placed her down as he feebly tried to break the door with his axe. While he tried, Mia looked to Carl and Sophia. The two children were in the arms of their mothers, it made Mia wish that her mother were there as well.

_00:06:01, 00:06:00, 00:05:59, 00:05:58, 00:05:57, 00:05:56_

Mia was too scared to cry as she watched the clock count down. She wasn't entirely certain what happened at zero, but she knew it wasn't good.

"Daddy?" Mia said quietly. Daryl turned to his daughter.

"What's gonna happen to us?" she asked. Daryl was torn between scooping his daughter up and holding her for however many minutes they had left together, or going to Jenner and making sure he had the most painful last few minutes possible.

Listening to Rick's words, and seeing the glare he was receiving from Daryl, Jenner knew exactly what he had to do. Jenner typed in the access code and the door slid open.

_00:04:30, 00:04:29, 00:04:28_

"Come on, let's go!" yelled Daryl who already had his crossbow on his back and Mia perched in his right arm. Grabbing his axe with his spare left hand, Daryl ran and didn't look back. Glenn was right behind him, but the others hesitated. Some people wanted to stay. Daryl didn't have time to care, Mia was his main priority and he needed to get her out of the building. He darted up stares two at a time, ignoring the pain in his legs and his arms.

When they reached the exit, the doors would not open. Daryl cursed to himself as he placed Mia down and started hammering the axe hard on the glass. Joined by the rest of the group, minus Jacqui, Andrea and Dale, Carl took Mia's hand as the adults all worked on getting them the hell out of the CDC. Seconds ticked by feeling like minutes as the glass did not give way. Axes, guns, _chairs; _nothing worked. The panic rose quickly and soon turned to tears until Carol produced a grenade of Rick's. Surely it had to work.

"Look out!" Rick yelled.

Daryl grabbed Mia and placed her against the wall, himself between his daughter and the impending explosion as he prayed to god that the grenade worked.

A deafening explosion and a shudder to the ground, and the group heard the unmistakeable sound of shattering glass. The survivors grabbed their belongings and ran, getting the hell out of that building as fast as they could. Several Walkers, after hearing the explosion from the grenade, were approaching the building. Shane and Rick took down all but one with gunshots as they sprinted through the familiar obstacle of bodies towards their waiting vehicles. The one remaining Walker was heading in the direction of Daryl and Mia. Mia buried her head in Daryl's shoulder, refusing to acknowledge the monster that was heading towards them. Ignoring the protest of his exhausted right arm, Daryl swung the axe one-handedly and took off the damn Walkers head.

"Everybody get down!" yelled Shane.

"Look!" shouted Lori, pointing out Dale and Andrea and they appeared out of the building. Mia watched for a few seconds as the two ran towards them before Daryl pulled her behind him in a act to shield her. Daryl's body more than protected her as the clock hit zero.

It started with a thunderous bang, one that shook the very ground they stood on. Mia covered her ears as she felt Daryl's grip on her tighten. Next, was the unmistakeable feel of the blistering hot heat which cloaked over them like a thin bed sheet being dropped from the sky. The blast wave felt like a small breeze, blowing long hair into eyes before the air returned to its previous still state.

Daryl took a deep breath as everyone warily emerged from their safe places. Daryl put Mia at arms distance to get a good look at her. Apart from looking tired and a little scared, Mia seemed okay. Daryl thanked his lucky stars that Mia wasn't hurt, standing up with his daughter and taking a look around. Everyone else seemed pretty shaken, but no injuries. They'd survived, they'd made it out and they were all still alive. All but Jacqui. Everyone started to gather their belongings, packing their stuff into the vehicles so that they were all ready to head towards Fort Benning.

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><p><strong>:) So what are you guys interested in reading next? Let me know, y'all.<strong>

**Love you all! Kenna x**


	9. Get Under The Cars

**Hey guys :) How have we all been?**

**I'm so happy the show is back after it's long hiatus. I've only waited this long to post so I know where I'm definitely going with this story, I'm so sorry I kept you waiting _so_ long.**

**This is only a short starter, the action starts next chapter...**

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><p>After a few hours of driving, the group had pulled over. Five cars was a lot of required fuel, and everyone knew that fuel was something that wasn't going to be easy to come across. Because of this, Daryl, T-Dog and Shane drained their cars of fuel, and distributed it evenly between Dale's RV, Rick's car and then stored the rest in Dale's RV. Rick, Lori, Carl, Carol and Sophia took one car and Shane, T-Dog, Andrea and Mia decided to ride in the RV with Dale and Glenn. Daryl refused to leave Merle's beloved bike behind, so he took the lead followed by Dale and then Rick as the group continued on their journey.<p>

Mia sat huddled up to Glenn on the passenger seat of the RV, her eyes fixed on Daryl. In the far distance, they could all see the abandoned cars, all they could do was hope there was a drivable route around them.

"Dale, are we nearly there. I'm hungry." said Mia. Dale looked to the young girl and gave her a sympathetic shrug. Glenn rustled around in his pocket at pulled out a nearly empty packet of chips, giving a handful to Mia and finishing the rest off himself.

"Thank you." Mia said, gratefully as she ate all of the chips almost at once. Glenn smiled and patted Mia gently on the back. It was clear to see the little girl was getting very restless. She stood up and wandered to the back where Shane, Andrea and T-Dog were sitting. She stood quietly and watched as Shane and Andrea talked about a gun that lay on the table before them. She stood on her tiptoes and peered at the many pieces of the weapon. One day, she'd ask her daddy to teach her about all of this stuff, but not right away. She took a step back from the table and tucked one of her stray blonde locks behind her ear.

"Oh, Jesus." Dale's voice said from the drivers seat. All eyes were drawn to the road in front. Mia climbed up next to Glenn and used him for support as she looked out at the road ahead, which was completely barricaded by cars. Shane, Andrea and T-Dog stood behind, all with looks of hopelessness across their faces as it seemed they weren't going anywhere in a hurry. Daryl pulled up alongside the RV on his motorcycle.

"You see a way through?" Dale asked him. Daryl nodded and motioned for them to follow him. Mia knelt on the dashboard as the RV slowly followed Daryl in and out of the maze of abandoned and upturned cars. The amount of cars which blocked the highway seemed never-ending. Not one car had any sign of life inside. A few had bodies still propped in the seats, but most of them were completely abandoned. The only sign that there had ever been life in the cars was from the number of bags which were visible through the windows. The upturned cars showed signs of blood stains, the cars in the middle of the highway were obviously other drivers who had attempted to make their way through this seemingly impossible maze. Dale drove carefully, any one of the cars could have been fitted with an alarm that if set off, could attract Walkers for miles.

A loud screech and a sharp blow of smoke from the engine startled everyone in the RV, especially Mia who let out a small squeal as she fell backwards on to Glenn. Glenn caught and steadied Mia and the RV came to a complete standstill. Mia followed the group out of the RV and made her way over to Carl and Sophia whilst the adults talked about possible ways to fix the RV.

"What's going on?" asked Carl. Sophia and Mia shrugged.

"I think Dale's truck broke." Mia told them.

The three children stood close by to Carol as everyone suggested what they should do. Daryl approached Mia as the rest of the group started searching the abandoned cars for useful objects for the rest of their journey.

"Mia I'm gonna go check some of these cars. Stay with Carl and Sophia, you understand?" Daryl told his daughter and Mia nodded in acknowledgement. Daryl leant down to kiss Mia on the forehead before heading off in the opposite direction.

"What you suppose they're looking for?" Mia asked as the three children wandered around, always keeping Dale's RV in sight. They had been told by Carol and Lori to stay within the adults sight, so they only peered through the windows of a couple of cars before they huffed to a standstill next to an empty, white truck.

"They're looking for spare food and stuff." said Sophia, "Things we can take with us when Dale's van is fixed."

"Looks like Shane found some water, too." Carl pointed at Shane who was drowning himself in water from a large container. Mia couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Almost out of nowhere, the calm attitude of the group seemed to disappear. Rick came sprinting up to Lori and Carol, gun in hand and told the to get under the cars. He then turned to the children.

"Carl, Mia, Sophia, get under the cars _now_!" The urgency in his voice was enough for the children not to argue. Carl ducked immediately under a black car and Sophia headed for the one right next to it. Mia got one look at the many Walkers heading in their direction and froze with fear. The tears clouded her vision as she searched for Daryl. She saw him nowhere. Before she had chance to cry out, a soft hand cupped hers and Mia found herself being dragged under a car with Sophia.

"It's going to be okay, Mia." Sophia whispered to the little girl, "Just close you eyes and keep quiet."

Mia did as she was told. The two girls huddled close together, hand in hand and Mia closed her eyes. Sophia exchanged one last glance with Carl before the hoard surrounded them.

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><p><strong>Again, I'm sorry I kept you waiting. I hope it was worth it.<strong>

**See you soon, Kids. Kenna xx**


	10. Where's My Girl?

**Hey my lovelies :) Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter. This one, I feel, is a little better. Please let me know what you think. :)**

**Hope you all enjoy.**

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><p>Feet dragged; bones cracked and groans spilled out as the Walkers passed unaware of the hiding survivors under the vehicles.<p>

A Walker knocked into the car under which Mia and Sophia were hiding, causing the youngest girl to snatch her hand away from Sophia and use them both to cover her ears. Her eyes were so tightly shut, they were almost watering. Sophia looked to her right where Carl was lay on his front, staring ahead at the approaching Walkers. To Carl's right, Sophia could just about make out her mother and Lori. Carol's eyes were filled with tears and Lori was having to cover her friends mouth to prevent the cries from escaping her lips. The sight of Carol made Sophia want to cry, so she redirected her stare to the oncoming Walkers with hope that there were not many left to pass them.

Mia wanted to cry, she wanted to scream. More than anything else in the world, Mia wanted to call for her father. She wanted Daryl to lift her up into his arms and comfort and protect her until the monsters had gone. Even with her ears covered and her eyes closed, Mia could still hear the spine-shivering, lifeless moans coming from the Walkers above her.

Just as soon as they had begun, the footsteps were gone. Mia slowly moved her hands away from her ears and once sure she couldn't hear any Walkers she opened her eyes with hesitation. Turning to Sophia, the two girls exchanged a slight smile as the realisation hit that they'd pulled it off; they'd gone un-noticed by every Walker that had passed them. The two girls looked to Carl who was also smiling, then to Carol and Lori who seemed more relieved than anything. Sophia looked ahead and then behind to ensure the all-clear before shuffling to her right intent on getting out from underneath the vehicle.

Mia didn't even have time to scream 'Wait!' before the two Walkers saw her, saw them both. They literally came out of nowhere and now they had their sight and taste buds set on the two young girls. Sophia urged Mia to the left, in the opposite direction of the two Walkers who were on all fours and reaching right for them.

"Mia, hurry." Sophia urged. The two girls scurried from under the car and quickly pulled themselves to their feet, the Walkers in close pursuit.

"Quick, this way." Sophia took Mia's hand and the two girls ran. They ran away from the Walkers and into the woods in desperate search of a hiding place until someone came to rescue then.

Rick wasn't far behind. He'd heard the cries from the two girls and had reached for his gun instinctively ready to give chase. As soon as he was out from under the truck which gave him cover, Rick had broken into a sprint in the direction in which the two girls ran knowing full well it shouldn't take him long to catch up.

By the time Carol, Lori and Carl were on their feet, Rick was well out of sight. Lori held Carol back by the shoulders as the hysterical mother tried to run.

"Oh, Lori. There's two Walkers after my baby." Carol cried as more of the group approached them.

"What's going on?" Andrea asked, following everyone else's gaze into the woods as Shane and Glenn approached.

"Two Walkers came out of nowhere, saw Mia and Sophia," Lori told them as calm as she could, "Rick's gone after them."

"Mia!" That voice belonged to Daryl, who appeared from behind the RV with Dale and an injured T-Dog. Daryl saw the looks on Carol and Lori's faces and his expression dropped.

"Where is she? Where's my girl?" Daryl demanded from Lori, his crossbow already loaded and ready to go. He must've known the basics as he was already heading for the woods.

"Two Walkers saw her and Sophia, they ran for the woods. Rick's gone after them." Lori explained as fast as she could tell that Daryl did not want to be kept waiting. As soon as she'd uttered the word 'woods', Daryl was gone closely followed by Shane and Glenn.

Daryl paid no attention to whoever followed him, he didn't care. All he cared about was finding his daughter, and finding her safe. His footsteps were quick but silent as he listened with desperate ears for any sign of movement. He heard none except the two who followed him. He came to a standstill and allowed Shane and Glenn to catch up. Three pairs of ears were better than one.

"Anything?" asked Shane. They all stood with their backs to each other, their eyes scanning every direction for any sign of movement.

"Nothin'" Daryl replied. His heart was racing, standing still just didn't feel right. He needed to be moving, he needed to find Mia. Daryl wanted nothing more than to scream, how could he have let her out of his sight without giving the area a proper safety check first? The first thing he should have done after noticing the hoard of Walkers was make sure Mia was safe, he could shoot himself for being so stupid.

"What should we do?" Glenn asked, looking to no one in particular for an answer.

"Be quiet!" barked Daryl. He listened and looked for any clues as to his daughters whereabouts. Shane started to walk away from them, further in to the woods in search of Rick. Daryl didn't move, he couldn't move. His eyes searched every direction; once, twice and a final third time just to be sure. Whatever had happened in this area, it hadn't ended well. Daryl tried to keep a level head as he stared at the ground and tried his best not to let a stray tear fall from his eye. Glenn was smart enough to keep still and quiet, Daryl had to give the kid credit for that. Daryl saw that Mia and Sophia had clearly ran this way, and they had been followed by the Walkers. Carefully following the trail, Daryl saw something that made his heart stop in his chest.

"Mia." he whispered gently as a soft sigh escaped him.

"Daryl, look." Glenn's voice drew Daryl's attention to a rustle in the near distance. Daryl raised his crossbow in the direction of the noise, lowering it immediately when Shane and Rick approached from the woods. Rick's plain white t-shirt was splattered in blood, Daryl wasn't sure how much longer he could contain his concern.

"Walkers are dead," Shane told them, "Rick got 'em before they..."

"Which one?" Daryl asked Rick, ignoring Shane completely. Glenn looked to Shane for an explanation to Daryl's question, Shane shrugged and then looked to Rick who knew exactly what Daryl was talking about.

"They're both alright, Daryl. She told me they just got separated is all."

"Which one did you find?" Daryl shouted, dropping his crossbow and entering Rick's personal space.

"We'll find her, Daryl. We'll find them both." said Rick. Daryl backed up, a look of confusion spread across his previously anxious face. Rick and Shane exchanged glances before Rick returned his attention to Daryl.

"I found Sophia, but now she's missing. Mia wasn't with Sophia when I found her."

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><p><strong>I feel I should tell you, this is where I may stray away from the series. It'll still be pretty much the same, but I'm going to change some aspects. I hope it's all to your liking. <strong>

**See you all soon, Kids. Kenna x**


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